21 March 2011, 15:17
The Committee passed the following decision further to the discussion: the report of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting shall be taken into consideration. Chairman of the Committee Andrii Shevchenko, People´s Deputies Oleksandr Abdullin, Mykola Bahraev, Yurii Stets, Viktor Ukolov, Chairman of the Council Volodymyr Manzhosov, Larysa Mudrak, members of the Council Mykola Fartushnyi, Iryna Opilat, Oksana Elamonova and members of the Committee and non-governmental mass media organizations attended the discussion.
Chairman of the Subcommittee on free access to the information and control over the activity of authority bodies in informational space Volodymyr Landik and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Television and Radio Broadcasting Olena Bondarenko focused on the implementation of the optimal standard of digital broadcasting in Ukraine. People´s Deputies also dwelled upon the development of territory covered with the digital signal, improvement of the system of supervision over the legislation observance in the sphere of the national television and radio space, and enhancement of activity of the public council under the National Council.
The People´s Deputies deem necessary "to counteract to the attempts of large television and radio companies to monopolize the national information space." According to the reporters, "it is necessary to strictly observe the principles of the state information policy."
The participants of the meeting discussed the conflict with "Chornomorska Television Radio Company" LLC (the Crimea) which, according to them, is "significant after the decision of the National Council not to prolong one of its licenses, namely, for broadcasting within three frequencies in villages Nova Petrivka, Sovietske and Chornomorske." The owners and creative team considered the situation to be an attempt of censorship and political pressure of the authorities, especially in the light of numerous inspections of the law-enforcement agencies.
The Committee members passed the decision "to put out the statements and call for a thorough and constructive analysis and solution of the issues related to the activity of "Chornomorska Television Radio Company" LLC." Moreover, the Peoples Deputies are going to address the law-enforcement bodies with a request to clarify the grounds for the numerous inspections of television and radio company and the facts of psychological pressure on its journalists.